Harvard, group spar over data in bias case

BOSTON — Even though they bring stronger academic records than any other racial group, Asian-Americans who apply to Harvard University face the lowest acceptance rates, according to a study of admissions records filed Friday by a group that’s suing the school over alleged discrimination.

The group, Students for Fair Admissions, says Harvard routinely assigns lower scores to Asian-American students in subjective rating categories meant to measure attributes such as likeability, courage and kindness, putting them at a major disadvantage compared to white students.

Edward Blum, a legal strategist who founded Students for Fair Admissions, issued a statement saying his group’s filing “exposes the startling magnitude of Harvard’s discrimination.”

Harvard blasted the study in an opposing court filing and submitted a countering study that found no evidence of bias. In a statement, the school called the lawsuit an attack on its ability to consider race in admissions, which it says is necessary to gather a racially diverse mix of students.

“Harvard will continue to vigorously defend our right, and that of other colleges and universities nationwide, to seek the educational benefits that come from a class that is diverse on multiple dimensions,” the school said.

The studies were filed in Boston’s federal court as both sides attempted to persuade a judge to end the suit before it reaches trial, which has been scheduled to start in October.

It marked a step forward in a lawsuit that has lasted nearly four years and has drawn the attention of the U.S. Education Department, which is also looking into Harvard’s use of race in admissions.

Both sides built their cases on six years of admissions decisions at Harvard. The records, for students who applied from 2010 through ’15, are barred from the public, but the dueling analyses offered a rare glimpse into the secretive inner workings of the Ivy League school’s admission office.

According to the filings, each applicant is assigned a numerical value in four categories — academic, extracurricular, athletic and personal — along with an overall score that’s meant to be comprehensive but isn’t based on any particular formula.

Ultimately the decision comes down to a committee of 40 people who review each applicant. For students who choose to submit their race, Harvard says it’s considered as one factor among many that may “inform an applicant’s life experience” and the contributions they will offer.

But the study shared by Students for Fair Admissions, which was conducted by Duke University economist Peter Arcidiacono, says race plays a major role and works against AsianAmericans.

The study found that if Harvard relied only on the academic scores it assigns to each applicant, more than half of admitted students would have been AsianAmerican over the six years. Instead, they made up 22 percent.

Arcidiacono largely puts the blame on subjective categories that disfavor Asian-Americans. They received lower scores than any other racial group in the category for “personal qualities,” for example, and they fared worse than whites in the overall rating assigned by Harvard.